I needed to find ScrumMaster, the human version, and BitBoy. I called Thalia over and told her to scour the underground rooms of the DigiRam building, find every viper’s nest, and destroy every robot fetus. While she was down there, she also melted the servers that were still silently plotting alternate vectors leading to my destruction.
I took the elevator up to the top floor.
When the elevator doors opened, a winged grenade flew at me and exploded. I suppressed it, and disarmed several other booby traps in the plush office. The room was empty, but I heard a door slam at the head of mahogany stairs leading up to the roof.
I rushed up the stairs, opened the door, and saw ScrumMaster running to a waiting helicopter, with BitBoy right behind. ScrumMaster saw me, and aimed a large black rifle at me. I didn’t know whether to expect a bullet, or a bolt from a laser, so I manifested a hard, opaque screen between us. He shot, but the screen held. He rushed ahead towards the helicopter, BitBoy at his heels.
I shouted “Atticus, stop!” BitBoy turned around. He was carrying a rifle too, but he looked scared and confused. “Don’t do it, Atticus. Come with me.”
He shouted across the rooftop, “Who are you?”
But ScrumMaster had reached the helicopter. He shouted “Come here, you fool!” He carried a wrapped bundle under his arm. I suspected it contained electronics, magnetic data storage devices, and a pulsing heart of fused sand, at the core of the deadly DigiRam brain. I hit the bundle, whatever it was, with a blast of fire. ScrumMaster cried out in pain and dropped it to ground.
BitBoy misunderstood, and yelled “You killed him!” He pointed his rifle at me, and pulled the trigger.
I let the bullet penetrate me. It missed my heart, but shattered a rib and pierced my lungs. I cannot explain why I let this happen. Dark steam was lingering, still exercising ineffable control over my desires and fears.
I could have stopped the bullet, but the sins in this world are great. This was my penance, and BitBoy’s.
BitBoy realized his mistake, and cried “Zenia!” He started to come towards me, but his father called him off, dragged him aboard the helicopter, and they flew away into the yellow moon.
In the parking lot, Melpomene and Thalia saw the helicopter rising, and were eager to incinerate the Black Hawk’s engine, but I stopped them.
Enough war.
Alone on the rooftop, I watched the helicopter disappear. I felt an unbearable grief weighing down on my chest, driving all joy and passion from my soul.
I sobbed uncontrollably, tears flowing down my cheeks. I was miserable, beaten down. I could have healed myself, but I chose not to. For the second time that day, I was dying. My lungs were filling with blood.